1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, and in particular to an image forming apparatus which can be carried and whose body can be erected.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, along with the advance of the image recording technique and the progress of parts and elements, compactness and light weight of image forming apparatuses such as copying machines has been expedited without their performance being harmed. In such tendency toward compactness, apparatuses which are provided with a handle and can be carried to and used at desired locations in a posture different from that during their operation have been proposed, and during their non-use, the apparatuses can be placed in a vertically upright posture unlike during their operation with the handle positioned above and can be preserved in a narrow space.
Now, in the above-described compact apparatuses, when the apparatus is carried or preserved in a posture different from that during its operation, if the operating button or the like is depressed by mistake while the apparatus remains connected to the power source, the apparatus may start its operation and the original carriage may begin to move or the optical system in the apparatus may start to move and at the same time, the photosensitive drum and process means around it may be operated. The various parts of the apparatus are operated under such situation in which vibration or shock may readily be applied to the apparatus causing it to be easily damaged.
As a technique which copies with such a situation, there can be mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,359 issued to the same assignee as that of the present application. The apparatus of this patent is such that during the carriage of the apparatus, the original carriage of the movable type is locked to prevent movement of at least the original carriage. However, this technique intends to forcibly block the movement of the original carriage and therefore, an inconvenience that a great load might occur between the original carriage and the driving means therefore could take place in some cases.